Host of Dreams, Land of Dreams
by XxhoneyleafxX
Summary: Summery inside, so don't just pass by this and at least read that. I wanted to make a story different from all the others, not about the people that go to wonderland, but the ones that were already there. Teen for... let's jst say itz cuz of language!
1. Chapter 1

Summery-

When you become mad, or "completely _bonkers_" as some have phrased it, you become a Host of Dreams, in the Land of Dreams. A select few have kept their sanity, yet have beared or bear the ability to travel into the Land of Dreams by choice since birth. Some have a strong ability and are able to spot the signs at an early age and tame such an ability, but some-like Nathaniel-fall in and out during their sleep once every couple of years, and are clueless to the powers they possess. Some purposely enter, and some try their best not to enter, and when those people accidentally do, they shy away from anyone mad. But, as I like to say, _everyone's mad here_.

**A/N:**

**I'm only gonna do the summary for this part, just to keep anyone reading this interested. So I'll ask you readers those easy literature questions everyone hates! :]**

**-Who's gonna be the main character of this story?  
>-Why would this storyline make sense with the fact that Alice in Wonderland was just a dream?|<br>-Why are these questions so incredibly easy?  
>-Why am I still typing questions?<strong>

**Don't answer them. Seriously. Don't.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

_Not everyone's mad here... at least, not anymore_

Nathaniel woke up with a start. Where was he? His brain felt foggy and he wanted to die. It was like STAR testing all over again.

He strained his eyes and tried to look through the ghost-like tendrils of fog surrounding him. He could faintly see a leaf-less white tree, blending in with the mist. A purple form was sitting leisurely on a branch. It was a girl… in a tutu? Yeah, it was. She had a striped purple tutu, striped purple leggings, striped purple fingerless gloves, and even soft purple-colored hair, twisted into huge curls. The only things on her that _weren't_ purple were her big black shoes and a black cat collar with a silver bell.

He couldn't make out her features, but he could see her turn her head to look at him. She was grinning, her white teeth flashing.

"My, my, another one? We're getting quite popular, aren't we?"

He strained his eyes, wanting desperately to see who she was.

"Can't see me? You must be a weaker one. What a shame," she tsked. She snapped her fingers, and the fog seemed to clear a bit.

He blinked, letting his eyes adjust for a moment or two. Then he looked up. Perched on a white tree branch, legs crossed and smiling, was Rain Locke, the crazy schizo from some of his classes. She had purple ears and a bushy tail, with glowing yellow eyes. He was one of the funnier, popular kids, which meant he would never mingle with kids like her.

The silver bell on her black cat collar jingled as she swiftly hopped off what would have been a three-story height and landed on the balls of her feet. She narrowed her slitted eyes at him. She straightened up and said casually, "Miss Fabro's calling you. The answer to the question is 2 to the 3rd power times 7. Or you can say 2 cubed times 7. And when you wake up, don't look startled."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. It wasn't the fact that someone crazy figured out a math problem 10x faster than he ever could that stumped him. In fact, Rain was actually a genius. But she talked to herself and acted as if people were with her, starting up a conversation. It was the fact that she actually said more than a complete sentence to an existing person. Her foster family probably never heard her say more than a few jumbled up words.

"Didn't you hear me? Wake up!" she snapped. "Miss Fob's goin' to the back to bust you!" Rain hissed. Nathan blinked in confusion. Miss Fob? He didn't even know she knew the _term_ fob, much less use it as a nickname. It fit, though, since although Miss Fabro wasn't Asian, she was raised by Koreans and came to America to become a teacher.

"Hello? Answer me mister! Actually, don't answer and just wake up," she hissed.

"Mister Cascadden? Please answer the question," the teacher said, clearly annoyed. She was walking towards him, her heels _click-clack_ing on the tiled floor.

"Umm…. 2 cubed times 7?" he answered, but it sounded more like a question. The teacher finally came in view of Nathan. The best part of math class was that, if you were in the back, you couldn't see the front, and if you were in the front, it was the other way around.

"Well, it seems your intellectual ability has boosted in the last ten minutes. You didn't know the answer to five times fifteen, yet you now know the answer to the square root of fifty six. Care to explain?" she asked with mock curiosity.

Nathan, keeping a straight face and serious tone, said, "No ma'am! I would not care to explain."

The class burst into laughter. Some attempted to conceal it, with no success, and some just laughed openly. The teacher just looked at him with cold eyes, and before she could tell him to go to the principal's office, he said, "No ma'am! I would not care to go to Stephanie's office," then, with a crooked grin, he said, "first time, I thought he was a chic, but I'm not interested in boys. I don't get in bed with those kinda of people, unlike others." He purposely eyed Miss Fabro, making it look like she was one of the "others".

"I mean, _come on_, everyone's seen that picture of the two of them snogging in Starbucks on Facebook, right? You know what those lead to," he continued. The whole class was now bending over in their seats in laughter. He allowed himself a cocky grin of satisfaction. It was for times like these that Nathaniel lived for. The laughter of the class and the angry hiss of the teacher's breath were like music to his ears.

"No, no, no. Please, let _me_ do the honors," he said politely. He cleared his throat and his voice went up a couple octaves in a whiny, bratty voice. "Mister Cascadden, please walk yourself to the principal's office," changing back to his regular voice, he objected, "But Miss _Fab-_ro! You know it's true!" back to Miss Fabro's, "You _will_ go with no complaints!" Getting up, Nathan took off his baseball cap and bowed. "Goo' day, madam!" and with that, he took off to the principal's office, leaving behind the class in a fit of giggles. And, of course, he tripped on thin air on the way out, causing more laughs. As he looked back to inspect the class for one last time, he saw Miss's purple face that could only have come from Hell itself, a hysterical class, and the only one not laughing, the only one inspecting him with knowing eyes.

Rain Locke.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

**thank you SOOOO much for the reviews! i love you! i'll try my bestest-estest to make this story reach your expectations! btw, Mrs. Fabro was my 5th grade teacher, and she was awesome, and doesnt make out with the principal, so don't be decieved! a lot of the characters here will be based after my classmates.**

**The Shadow Star: lol i based Rain after myself, average smart but crazy, only youll see in future chapters that shes a LOT more crazy than she actually seems. and ill try to make the chapters longer. (notice i said "try")**

**PrettyLittleGleeber: *sigh* those were the good days, huh?...**

**Disclaimer: I never did, do not, and never will own alice in wonderland. otherwise my friends would not have laughed at me because i thought it was called "alice and wonderland". and im not gonna do disclaimer in every chappie! only in this one. cuz i no ill forget. ;D**

Chapter 2

_3…2…1… ACTION!_

**3****rd**** person POV (Nathaniel)**

Nathaniel and his friends walked up the ramp to the lunch benches. His school was really outdoorsy. The classrooms were separate little studios, sort of. The 6th grade classrooms were unleveled with the rest, so to get to the cafeteria, he had to pass the grassy field and go up a ramp.

"Man, that was HILARIOUS!" Franny laughed. His real name was Fransisco, but his friends called him Franny for some laughs. Celine smiled, Scott chuckled, and Nathaniel just dazed off into space.

Celine pocked him on the shoulder. "Hey, how DID you know the answer to the question? I saw you dozing off."

"A magical purple cat in my dreams told me the answer," he grinned, only half-kidding. Scott almost seemed startled by the answer, and then looked suspicious of Nathan.

Nathaniel made his way to a table far on the left, purposely trying to avoid Rain, who was sitting at a table on the far left. He saw her grin amusedly at that, as if she knew the reason. Scott noticed Nathaniel avoiding and looking at Rain wearily, and his look of suspicion grew. Scott couldn't take the suspense any longer.

"Hey Lockes! Wassup with the staring competition?"

**Rain POV**

I switched from looking at Nathaniel Cascadden with knowing eyes to Scott Laskey with distaining ones.

"You coming not. Fransisco like. Too Celine. All strong scared yet," I murmured, shuffling away. Eh, they'd know what I meant. All three were pretty powerful and were able to travel into the Land of Dreams with ease, but were avoiding it. Wimps. Nathaniel was a weaker one, but they were still all attracted to each other, like a connection.

Celine's hand went to her mouth as she gasped, and her dark brown, almost black eyes went wide with shock and disbelief, as if she couldn't believe I'd even dared to mention the Land of Dreams to her, Scott narrowed his chocolate eyes at me with extreme dislike, and Franny pretended not to have heard it. Nathaniel just looked at them in confusion. Scott, being the rash one, stomped right up to me, despite Celine's warnings to stop as she followed him. She reached out a hand and gripped his wrist, her bracelet bangles clanging together.

"Don't. You, for one, should know it would be stupid to make an enemy of a Host. Just forget it," she whispered into his ear, but Scott still continued on towards me. People started to take notice of our little show, and were watching silently with prying eyes.

"You think you're all that, don't you, Chesire," he sneered. "You think that you're better than us, but at least we're not _Hosts_. We actually pride in keeping our sanity! Why would we ever even _try_ to go back?" lowering his voice and leaning towards her, he hissed, "I felt what you did to Nat. you made him stronger, didn't you? Why can't you just leave him alone? We've been trying so hard to keep him out, just to have you pull him in harder!" and with that, he stormed back to the table, Celine and Fransisco comforting him to whole way. Nathaniel followed behind, looking confused.

I sat down and dazed off, letting the Land of Dreams take me in.

**Scott POV**

I practically fumed the rest of the day, but my frustration wasn't focused completely on Rain. Lately, the pull to the Land of Dreams has been as strong as ever. That was why someone as weak as Nathaniel got there and how he saw Rain. But I didn't ever want to go back into that freak fest, and Celine and Franny felt the same way. They were lucky and weaker than me, though still pretty powerful, and didn't get stuck in there lately. Yet. But I had, twice in the past week, and the second time was extremely hard to escape. Something was going on.

On the end of the day I stood next to the gate, and whistled, letting the sound's sharp cry pierce the air. _Tswee, tswee, tswee, tsu! Tswesuwi_*_! _It was a little code that we used, and only Nathaniel didn't know about it, for cases like this.

I went out of the gates and walked through a row of overgrown bushes in front of the gate, and into an area with trees scattered around. I put my foot onto the lowest branch of a tall tree full of leaves, one with "CSF" engraved on the trunk, and boosted myself up, dodging the branches and getting myself into a hole, clear of leaves, in the middle. I sat on one of the three largest branches and waited.

"Scott?" I heard a voice ask. Celine popped her head through, her long, wavy brown hair and hoop earrings getting caught in twigs. She sighed in frustration as she tried to de-snag her hair from a stubborn branch. I helped her onto another large branch and we waited for Franny.

Time seemed to go slower as we waited. I could tell Celine was nervous, because she kept fiddling with her bangles; she probably guessed this was about the Land of Dreams, or "Schizo Paradise", as we liked to sometimes call it.

Finally, a hand reached up and grabbed onto the last large branch. Franny pulled himself up, grinning. "sorry, am I late?" he asked. Celine consulted her crystal blue watch.

"Nah, I've been waiting for about three, maybe four minutes," she answered. Geez, has it been that short?

They both looked at me expectantly, so I started.

"I don't know if you guys have felt it, but the pull to Schizo Paradise has been unusually strong. There's something going on. One time, I got sucked into the damn place and could barely even get out. And even the Hosts must have sensed it. The first time, I got out just fine, and the Hosts looked nervous, but they were still all doing alright. The second time, it took forever to be able to get out, and when I did, I was wiped out. It turned out my parents were ready to call 911. No matter how hard they shaked me, pinched me, poured friggin _ice water_ on my face, I wouldn't wake up. And the Hosts looked nerve-wrecked. They wouldn't even look me in the eye, and some were missing, like the Mad Hatter. The more insane ones went on with their business, but I think something is going on."

They both looked at me nervously, Celine especially.

"What about Rain? She seemed okay. Why isn't she scared?" She asked, seeming to want to hold on to any last scrape of hope.

"I hear her family died in a fire. Maybe she isn't afraid of death," I guessed.

Franny looked at me straight in the eye and asked, "So what exactly are you suggesting we do?"

"We take action, of course, unless you want to be stuck in that hellhole for all eternity," I answered. I was sort of nervous, and I wasn't sure if they would agree, so what Franny said next made me let out a breath of relief.

"Now you're talking."

* * *

><p><strong>*its a little code i made. first you whistle who you are, then you state youre business. if its a meeting, you state where. Franny is one "tswee" Celine is two, and Scott is three. "tsu" means meeting, then "tswesuwi" means the tree. i might use it again later on in the story.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

_Oh Mister Rabbit?_

**Franny POV**

Locke hadn't come to school today, which drove Scott all paranoid. "Something's going on," he'd say. "Something kept her from coming." I could tell Celine was starting to lose her patience. I could practically hear her breaths whistle through her nose.

As we walked out of the school gates and to our neighborhood, Scott said for what must have been the millionth time, "There's something going on, something is wrong with Rain.

"Yeah, have you ever considered maybe she has a simple _cold?_" Celine finally exploded.

"Some colds can kill," I pointed out. "Simple doesn't really cover it."

"Ugh, I'm surrounded by complete crap-brained dweebs!" she steamed.

"Ooo, that's a good one. Mind if I use that phrase sometime?" I asked excitedly. I watched as her fist clenched. _Uh-oh._

"_STOP SCREWING WITH ME!" _she screeched, slamming her fist into a nearby tree. The whole poor oak tree shook, and the birds and squirrels darted out, alarmed. She looked at the floor, her shoulders shaking as she tried to compose herself and even out and calm her breathing.

"They should _really_ consider stopping your tae-kwon-do lessons and use the money on therapy sessions," I stated in a matter-of-factly way. I saw her bit her lip, but she held on to her last scrap of reasoning. I had to say, I was impressed.

"You're an idiot," she finally sighed.

"You're face," I shot back

I saw Scott glare at me, and I tried to keep myself from making a teasing remark about how much he cared about Celine. Nathaniel walked over to Celine and started comforting her.

"Billy Mays!" I said randomly, examining my nails.

"Hey," Nat said, out of the blue. "Is that a… a boy with… _rabbit ears?_" Everyone looked up, alarmed.

**Scott POV**

"_HELP!"_ the boy cried out. He was about 7 years old, with silvery white hair with snowy white bunny ears and bright amber eyes with wiry black glasses perched on his slightly pink nose. His outfit looked strange, with light blue pants and yellow vest. He had a red coat on top, with a dark mahogany bow. He frantically waved a gold locket in the air as he tripped over his own feet to get to them.

"Help! Help! They're coming! We need an Alice! A miracle! They say nothing's wrong, but order is unraveling!" he ran straight up to us. "ALICES!" he cried out in relief. He grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me down, so that we were leveled at the eyes.

"The worlds are colliding! And someone is targeting the Hosts! Only an Alice can keep our worlds separate!" He wailed. I shivered. His eyes were grossly creepy. Beady and the color of blood, like a rat's.

"What are you doing here, Mister Rabbit? Why are your ears out in this realm?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, despite the fear coursing through my veins.

"No time for questions. Get to the Land of Dreams, no delay! We need you, even if no one will admit it," he chattered, his nose twitching. He looked around, scared. He looked like a caged animal, frightened and confused.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a soft silky voice of a boy calmly stated, "I'm afraid time is up, Mister Rabbit. _Your _time."

"_It's COMING!"_ he screeched in terror. Blobs of black goo formed in the air around him, fusing together and tightening around the boy. Tears formed at his eyes as he clawed at his prison, but it just slipped through his fingers. We watched, paralyzed, as the encasing form of black sank into the ground, taking him with it. His last word rang through the crisp, afternoon air.

"_MUM!"_

We stood there, frozen, not quite processing what we'd just seen. No one dared utter a word, and it seemed as though everyone was holding their breath. Finally, Nathaniel broke through the silence.

"Wh-what was that?" Nat asked, shaking. "You guys are hiding something from me. What's up with all these animal-people hybrids?"

"They're not all part animals," Celine muttered. She had tears streaking down her face as she refused to look at anyone, looking down at her fingers instead, which were fiddling nervously.

"Remember how we made you read Alice in Wonderland in 2nd grade? We told you how, one day it would matter that you read it?" Franny asked. He looked shaken up as well. "That was Mister Rabbit's host. When someone goes crazy, they become a host. Like Rain was the Chesire Cat. We… we're people that aren't crazy but can go into the Land of Dreams. Some Hosts call us Alices, because the first person to exploit the powers into public named the character simply as "Alice".

"The reason we've been friends for such a long time is because people with that… _ability_, are attracted to each other. Scott's been here longest, and he's the strongest. We sensed his power without even knowing and we probably asked our parents to move here. Scott's strongest, then Celine, then me, then you. You're pretty weak, so you didn't even understand what you can do, and you usually forget when you do go in.

"Do you know how when someone's driven crazy, they seem to faze off or look like they're concentrating on something in the air that isn't there? They're in the Land of Dreams, mentally. According to Mister Rabbit, the worlds are colliding. And someone's behind it all."

"And we have to do something about this little situation of ours," I said, looking at them. "Ask all your parents if you guys can go on a camping trip tomorrow. Say we'll be gone from today at five, to Monday morning, and that we'll go to school directly from there. Hopefully, that'll be all the time we need. My parents are out of town for the month, so come to my place. We'll be going t0 the Land of Dreams tonight and try to save the Hosts, starting with Mister Rabbit. Let's help him find his way to his mom."

They smiled sadly in agreement.

**3****rd**** person POV**

**Later that day, at 5:15 pm**

Celine, Franny, and Nathaniel continued to bang on the door to Scott's house. They all lived in the same neighborhood, which they had chosen, when moving there, on impulse, so they met each other on the way to his house.

"Dude, open _up_ already! We've been waiting for, like, _forever!" _Franny yelled, sounding exasperated.

"Maybe we should use that hidden key he hides," Celine suggested, fiddling nervously with her hair.

"What key?" the boys both asked in unison. Celine's face flushed.

"W-w-well, I-I just thought you knew. I use it sometimes when we… _hang out_," she stuttered.

"I never knew you two had a relationship going!" Franny grinned. "This is perfect! Nathan n' I can be Scott's best men, you're little sister can be your flower girl, and then Rain can be you're Bridesmaid!"

Celine rolled her eyes, saying, "I meant hanging out like science projects."

She knelt down and pealed a piece of white colored tape used to camouflage a key on the side of the second stair.

Franny whistled. "That boy's got some chameleon in 'im!"

She unlocked the door, and she hurried inside, searching the rooms and calling his name.

Nathan walked into the kitchen, and froze. Scott was sitting down, slumped, against the kitchen cabinet. A knife, forks, spoons, and bowls were scattered on the floor, and the floor was flooded with 7up, with the drained bottle tossed to the side. His face was slick with sweat, with his dark brown hair plastered to his forehead, and his eyes were closed. The only thing to show that he was alive was the slow motion of his chest as he breathed.

"I found him!" he called.

He dragged Scott out of the kitchen and into Scott's room, where Nathan set the sleeping form on the bed.

"Guys, I found him, come on!" he called, but no one answered. He felt a peculiar tugging feeling in his gut, but he ignored it and searched for the other two.

He found them in the parents' room, on the large, comfy looking bed, hugging each other as they slept. He sniggered at the sight of them like that, despite the situation he knew he was in.

He dragged Scott into the parents' room and onto the bed. The parents' bed would be larger and more comfortable. He sat down on the edge of the bed, wondering how he would get into the Land of Dreams. It turned out, he didn't have to try.

Because the tugging feeling in his gut got stronger, and his head started throbbing, and the Land of dreams swallowed him in.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

**sorry im not updating! but my computer was taken away quite unexpectedly, so yah... when/if i get my hands on another computer, ill update! promise!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 4

_Nuclear Explosions, Psycho Kings, And A Hint Of Narnia_

**Nathaniel POV**

I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the sudden burst of natural light. The moment I was able to see clearly, I bolted upright, gasping in wonder. It looked like everything described in the book and shown in the movie, but 100x more beautiful and happy and delightful. Now I understood why mad people came here. It really was "Schizo Paradise", as Scott had put it. It was a paradise for anyone.

"Scott? Celine? Franny?" I called. No answer, at first. Then, however, I heard a faint whistle. _Tswee, tswee! _Pause, then came a reply, this time, closer, but on the other side. _Tswee! _I ran towards the whistles, since I didn't know what else to do. They continued, trading off.

The wonderful mix of smells hit me on the way. Roses, cookies, sugar, honey, and anything sweet and enjoyable. The air was crisp and cool, slightly windy but with the sun beating down. I could hear birds tweeting, other than the whistles, and crickets chirping and the healthy green leaves brushing against each other, resulting in a soft roaring noise.

I stopped running as I neared a clearing. I was around the center of the whistles. They both got louder and louder, until Franny trampled through the undergrowth, shaking his dirty blond hair free of twigs.

"Nat! You're okay, thank god. I felt myself being pulled into this place, so I went to Celine for help, but she was asleep, so I shook her, but it was too strong, so I collapsed," he fretted.

He whistled again. _Tswee!_ No answer. He tried again. _Tswee!_ Still no result. His face paled considerably. _Tsweeeee! _

"Oh man, please no. Please tell me it's Tweedles that got her," he moaned. His hand automatically went to a huge knife on his back. Pulling it out of its hold, he positioned it in its hands.

"What's wrong?" I asked, eyeing the knife nervously. It was practically as big as Franny himself.

"Heh heh… Well, about that… Don't panic. Most are harmless, but its best to be cautious. Psycho killers also include as mad," he replied, dashing towards where the whistle was last heard.

I followed, realizing we were in different clothing, but I pushed the thought aside. We pushed past the bushes and trees, into a wide clearing. It looked as though the clearing had recently endured a nuclear explosion. The grass was singed and yellow, and smoke trailed into the sky.

"She used her powers. Not good," he muttered, looking around for any sign of Celine.

"We get powers? That is so sweet!" I exclaimed, trying to lighten his mood. Franny was rarely this serious. But he just shook his head.

"Only the Dias. The Spades get offense, Dias get telekinesis, Clubs get defense, and Hearts get safety and health," he muttered absentmindedly, looking at the grass with a critical eye. "In order from strongest to weakest."

I stole a quick glance at Franny's mucho xxxL knife.

"You're Spades, for offense?" I guessed.

"Nope. This knife can't damage. Only for deflecting blows. Scott is Spades, though," he supplied, examining the burning bushes. He pointed behind me, saying, "That way."

I followed him wordlessly, examining my new wardrobe. It was a simple aqua-blue doctor's outfit, and I had a stethoscope around my neck. I had one of those odd-looking headbands with a metal circle attached to it, and I was holding a clipboard with a pen held up by my ear (beats me what _that's_ for. Decor, maybe?).

Franny looked like a total gangster, with a blue hat sporting a green clover. Underneath that, he had a faded, dark red bandana. His jacket was navy blue, with a dark green stripe on each of the jacket's short sleeves. On his left sleeve was a small white clover. The shirt underneath was white, and he had on a silver chain with a jade clover (Lord, what was with all these _clovers?_). His pants were a plain tan color, with chains and a keychain necklace hanging from his pocket. He had a small, gold ringed earring with a blue wristband ringed with red.

Notice how Franny's outfit is not only awesomer, but his paragraph was 2x the size of mine. Where's the justice in this cruel, warped-up world?

* * *

><p><strong>3<strong>**rd**** Person Celine POV**

Celine groaned as she woke up, rubbing her head. She had a _killer_ migraine. Emphases on "killer". She was trying to collect her thoughts, when a black-haired, amber-eyed boy* walked into the room-which, as she now was able to see, was a large bedroom, with cabinets, a closet, and everything else needed to make a cozy bedroom. There was a huge yellow bed in the middle of the room draped with satin cloth and had diamond print covers , which she was sitting on. He smiled, but it seemed to make him all the more frightening, with his pale skin and red-flecked eyes that seemed to bore into her. He didn't seem to be much older than her, around fourteen, maybe. Franny, Nat, Scott, and she were all twelve.

"I wonder if I'll get points for eliminating an Alice from the games," He mused, bending down to inspect her. She didn't like the way his eyes analyzed her; they were cold, calculating, but with a curious glint. His voice unnerved her, bringing back the memory of Mr. Rabbit's host-the voice that came up out of thin air was this boy's. She didn't even want to _guess_ what he meant by "eliminate". He got up and walked to the door, calling, "Gamekeeper!"

Celine blinked, surprised, as Rain skipped around and into the room, humming pleasantly. "Yes, King Josiah?" she asked jokingly, leaning against the bedpost. He watched her with contempt, before asking, "Can I kill an Alice for points?"

Celine felt her blood go cold. She'd already guessed that that was what he had meant, of course, but it didn't stop from freaking her out.

Rain rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. It sounded something like, 'Already considering suicide from the truth in our mirrors?', but she smiled brightly right after, saying, "Nope. It'll take off points, actually. Two hundred, to be exact. That's foul play."

Josiah cursed, crossing his arms like a little boy that had his tricycle taken away. "What do I _do_ with her, then?" he asked, fuming. Rain shrugged. "Imprisonment, partner, let her go… who cares? Even if you let her go, it wouldn't do any harm. You've been doing this for almost a month, _and_ made excellent progress. So much, in fact, you tilted the balance of chaos and harmony, clashing the two worlds together. She's nothing compared to what you're doing now. With your pace, you'll make it to the Ace's spot in no time."

The boy shrugged. "I'll keep her here, for just in case. After I become Ace, she'll be let go," he decided. He gestured to Rain to leave, and she did, Josiah following not far behind. Celine heard the lock click, and she sighed, yawning tiredly before snuggling under her covers. If she was going to be stuck here anyways, she'd get comfortable.

She was starting to remember bits of what had happened. The boy had worked on knocking her out when she was trying to meet with Franny, and she had attacked him with a blast of her own, when he seemed to disappear. He came back behind her, getting a hit on the side of her head, knocking her out. She turned 0ff the golden lamp on the cabinet top next to the bed, hoping for a quiet, peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>3<strong>**rd**** Person Scott POV**

Scott jerked up, annoyed to no end. One minute he was at home, making a quick snack, and the next-_poof!_-he was here. He sighed, getting up. There were no Hosts in sight, unnerving Scott to no end. Then… then the singing started.

_Where the ice meets the sky,_

_Where the trees never grow…_

_Where the water is locked,_

_So still, forever slow…._

Scott looked around, before following the voice into a clearing. In the middle was a vast lake, frozen. The trees, bushes, and other plants around the lake were frozen solid, only the grass remaining normal. The girl singing was jumping around lightly on her feet, like a professional ballerina. All around her were ice sculptures of Hosts. He recognized Tweedledee & Tweedledum, and a few more. Honestly, he tried to stay away from here, so he mostly new hosts from the book and movie.

_Where the wind scours the land,_

_Carving bridges, spires, and peaks…_

_Listen closely, my friend, _

_And you'll hear the ice speak…._

She was around eleven, and wasn't dressed like any of the Alices he'd ever seen. Her costume was white and fluffy, like a wedding gown, with pearls sewed in. She had ballet flats on, and had dark, almost black, brown hair stopping at her waist. Her skin was paler than a normal person's-a result from the cold, probably-and her eyes were of a dark brown color. She had an elaborate "_Q_" tattooed on her ankle. Snowy white wings dotted with a light, smoky grey sprouted on her back, balancing her so that she was able to make impossible twists. If she had seen him, she didn't show it. She just kept twirling, singing in a light, luring voice.

_It speaks of times gone by,_

_Creatures frozen in the deep…_

_A place where time grows still,_

_A place of long, eternal sleep..._

A Host came out from the bushes, enchanted by her voice, apparently, because the Host's eyes were half-lidded and clouded over. It was a tall, skinny boy, around the age of sixteen, with a messy grey hair with yellow eyes. He had the ears of a grey wolf, which slumped down, like his tail. He swayed with the motion of the song, before dancing with her.

_Where the ice never melts,_

_Where we dwell through the pole …_

_This is where I long to fly,_

_I have ice crystals in my soul…_**

The girl leaned up and gave the Host a kiss, and Scott went rigid with shock. The Host started to freeze, starting from the lips and spreading throughout his body. After he was completely frozen, covered with frost, she stopped the kiss and breathed on him, turning the inside to ice. She leaned back, as if to admire her work, and sighed, content.

"Hey, the name's Alexa, an Alice. I'm guessing you're one as well, unless you're a Gamekeeper. But I haven't done anything against the rules yet, so you're probably an Alice," she said. She didn't turn her back to face Scott, but he knew she was addressing him.

"Uh, yeah… Were all these ice sculptures real Hosts?" He asked, composing himself.

She turned to him, smiling. "Yup. Impressive, huh? I started the Alice Games a month and a half ago, and I'm already a Queen. My best friend, Cameron, is a Jack. Then another friend of mine is a King, even higher than me. Soon, he'll be an Ace, and I'll be able to be King, and Cameron will be able to be Queen."

Scott blanched. "What's the objective of the Alice Game?" he asked quietly, though he already knew. He had to confirm it, to make sure this was really happening.

Alexa laughed softly, and looked directly into Scott's eye. "Isn't it obvious? You must not be a competitor, then."

"Just answer my question," he whispered, horror snaking through his body as he thought of all those Host's lives and families. This couldn't be happening. Something, so gruesome, so _cruel…_

" Well, if you want to know so badly… The objective of the Alice Game is to eliminate the Hosts to collect points and go up a Card.

"In short, _we kill the Hosts."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ouch. Dang, what the hell did my characters get **_**in**_**to? Oh yeah. Whatever I wrote. Anyways, I found access to the computer for, like, 2/4 0f the day, so after ¼ of playing solitaire, mahjong tiles, and checkers (yeah, computer's pretty much a waste with me controlling it), I decided to update a chapter for any readers that haven't abandoned me. *sigh*, 3 hours of writing time aren't as long as they used to be…. Well my mom says we'll be getting a computer, so yay! :)**

***Virtual cookies for anyone who guesses what book he's from. Amber eyes, black hair, rich vibes, and silky voice(the voice reference was from one of the other chappies)**

****The song's from the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, I like to make little tunes to the lyrics and sing them as time-killers. The lyrics were from memory, so I thing I was a little off, and I completely forgot the 3****rd**** to last line, so I made it up… :)**


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